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Waterline break shuts Central High

By {screen_name}
Thursday, September 5, 2013

Classes will likely resume today at Central High School following a waterline break on campus Thursday.

The school dismissed students at 11:30 a.m. Thursday following an underground waterline break in the school’s parking lot. The main water supply to the school was shut off, which impacted the school’s ability to serve lunch or operate bathrooms, according to School District 51.

District 51 spokeswoman Christy McGee said the district’s goal Thursday evening was to work through the night to solve the problem and re-open the school Friday morning. McGee said the cause of the break had not been determined as of Thursday evening. The break occurred on the west side of the high school’s main campus near buildings, somewhere between the school’s auditorium and cafeteria.

District 51 crews worked to find the cause of and repair the break because the break occurred on district property. Clifton Water District Manager Dale Tooker said Mesa County crews provided a backhoe for excavation and Clifton Water workers were on hand to offer assistance or guidance.

Tooker said two types of lines feed the school’s water system — lines that provide domestic water for drinking fountains, showers and other amenities and lines for the school’s fire protection systems. He was unsure as of Thursday afternoon which type of line had a break in it.

The line break caused Central volleyball players to move a match against Glenwood Springs High School to Palisade High School.

A Major Margot Gates briefing was also moved, transferring from Central’s library to the library at Grand Mesa Middle School.